1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile station, and more particularly, to a method for displaying an available time according to battery capacity in a mobile station, in which both an available standby time and an available call time of a mobile station are displayed according to a remained amount in a battery capacity.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, the mobile station provides a variety of services, such as displaying a time period to be charged and a real time, memorizing, signal transmission/reception selection, and the like. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram showing a system of a related art mobile station.
Referring to FIG. 1, the related art mobile station is provided with an antenna 110 for transmission/reception of a radio signal, a duplexer 120 for combining the transmission/reception of the radio signals through the antenna 110 to permit communication even by using only one antenna, a receiver 140 for converting a frequency of the radio signal received through the antenna 110 into a Intermediate frequency(IF), a transmitter 130 for converting frequencies of various signals processed for transmission for transmission through the antenna 110 into Radio frequencies(RF), and providing to the duplexer 120, a high power detector 150 for detecting an output power of the transmitter 130, a battery 160 for supplying an operation power to the mobile station, a memory(RAM) 200 for storing various information required for processing external data, a baseband part for converting outputs of the high power detector 150, the receiver 140 and the battery 160 in digital signals, or converting a signal to be provided to the transmitter 130 into an analog signal, an MSM(Mobile Station Modem) 180 for controlling the transmission/reception of the radio signal of the mobile station, and a user interface 190 having a keypad, a liquid crystal display, a speaker, and a microphone for a user to select a mode or permit input/output the radio signal. The baseband part 170 has a digital/analog converter 171 for converting the digital signal form the MSM 180 into an analog signal and providing to the transmitter 130, a first analog/digital convertor 172 for converting the analog signal from the receiver 140 into a digital signal and providing to the MSM 180, and a second analog/digital convertor 173 for converting outputs of the high power detector 150, the receiver 140 and the battery 160 into digital signals and providing to the MSM 180. The MSM 180 has a demodulator 183 for demodulating a signal from the first analog/digital convertor 172 into a CDMA digital signal, a microprocessor 182 for receiving a signal from the second analog/digital convertor 173 and a key signal from the user interface 190 and providing a control signal corresponding to the received signals, a modulator 181 for modulating a data to be transmitted, and a vocoder 184 for converting the signal demodulated at the demodulator 183 into a speech signal, and converting the signal to be transmitted into a CDMA digital signal and providing to the modulator 181. The user interface 190 has an LCD window 194 for displaying various data for the user, a microphone 192 for converting a speech of the user into an electrical signal, a speaker 193 for receiving and converting various electrical signals into vibration to convert the electrical signals into audible signals, a keypad 195 having a plurality of buttons for the user to input various data in using the mobile station, and a CODEC 191 for converting the digital speech signal from the vocoder 184 into an analog speech signal and presenting to the speaker 193, and converting an analog speech signal from the microphone 192 into a digital speech signal and providing to the vocoder 184.
The signal transmission/reception operation of the related art mobile station will be explained. A CDMA signal received through the antenna 110 undergoes a frequency conversion into a intermediate frequency(IF) at the receiver 140. The analog signal is converted into a digital signal at the first analog/digital convertor 172 in the base band part 170. The analog/digital convertor 172 is used for conversion of a voice data. The digital signal from the first analog/digital convertor 172 is demodulated into a CDMA digital signal at the demodulator 183 in the MSM 180, and converted into a digital voice signal at the vocoder 184. Once the digital signal is converted into an analog signal at the CODEC 191 in the user interface 190, and forwarded to the speaker 193, the voice can be heard. In the case of transmission, the analog voice signal received at the microphone 192 is converted into a digital voice signal at the audio CODEC 191, into a CDMA digital signal at the vocoder 184 in the MSM 180, and into a digital signal at the modulator 182. The digital signal, then, is converted into an analog signal at the digital/analog convertor 171 in the baseband part 170, and frequency up-converted at the transmitter 130, and transmitted to a base station through the duplexer 120 and the antenna 110.
Related art methods for displaying a strength of incoming signal and an available battery capacity in the aforementioned mobile station will be explained. FIG. 2 illustrates a graph showing a battery discharge characteristic in a mobile station. In general, a lithium-ion battery is used for the mobile station. The battery is rechargeable, can provide approx. 4.2V when the battery is charged fully, and has a built-in protection circuit for blocking anymore use of the battery when the battery can only provide 2.7V due to prolonged use of the battery. That is, since 2.7V is preset as a cut off voltage by a mobile station vender, the mobile station becomes inoperative when the battery voltage is at 2.7V. FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart for explaining a related art method for displaying a strength of incoming signal and a method for displaying remained battery capacity in a related art mobile station.
Referring to FIG. 3, a radio signal from a base station is received at an antenna S21, passes through the antenna 110 and the duplexer 120, and undergoes frequency up-converting at a receiver 140 S22. The signal is then converted into a digital signal at the second analog/digital convertor 173 S23. The second analog/digital convertor is used for a conventional input/output data. The strength of a signal received through the antenna and a battery voltage are read at a microprocessor 181 in an MSM 180 S24. Then, the strength of the received signal and the remained amount of battery charge are displayed S25. The remained amount of battery charge is displayed, with a range of voltage between 4.2V at the time of full charge and the 2.7V at the time of cut off divided equally into three to five. That is, when the remained amount of battery charge is divided into four, four pieces are displayed when the battery output voltage is 3.6Vxcx9c4.2V, three pieces are displayed when the battery output voltage is 3.2Vxcx9c3.6V, two pieces when the battery output voltage is 3.0Vxcx9c3.2V, one piece when the battery output voltage is 2.7Vxcx9c3.0V. Thus, the aforementioned related art mobile station digitizes the strength of a received signal and the remained amount of battery charge and displays on an LCD for informing to the user.
However, the related art method for displaying the remained amount of battery capacity has the following problems.
First, when the mobile station is turned on, a charge in the battery is consumed continuously from the time of turn on, and particularly, a rate of the consumption is greater during call than standby. As the remained amount of battery capacity is displayed, merely with the remained amount of battery capacity divided three to five in the related art method for displaying an available time period of the battery, the user can not see an available standby time and available call time for the remained amount of battery capacity, precisely. Consequently, there may be occasions when the user fails to complete an important call due to the battery discharge when a hurried, or unexpected call is required.
Second, even if the rate of charge consumption varies with the strength of reception/transmission signal (sensitivity), the available standby time and the available call time could not have been displayed because the variation has not been taken into account in calculation of the available time, causing the above failure occurred.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for displaying an available time according to battery capacity in a mobile station that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for displaying an available time according to battery capacity in a mobile station, which can inform an available standby time and an available call time of the mobile station to a user, and calculate a more accurate remained amount of battery capacity.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the method for displaying an available time according to battery capacity in a mobile station, includes the steps of (1) calculating an available standby time and an available call time according to battery capacity, and (2) informing the calculated available standby time and/or the available call time by numerals or voice.
In other aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for displaying an available time according to battery capacity in a mobile station, including the steps of (1) forming relations between current consumption(mA) of the mobile station both in a standby mode and a call mode and a strength of a received signal into tables, and storing the tables in a memory respectively, (2) measuring a battery voltage for calculating a remained amount of battery capacity(mAh), (3) measuring a strength of a received signal, and reading current consumption both in the standby mode and in the call mode corresponding to the measured strength of the received signal, (4) dividing the remained amount of the battery capacity(mAh) by respective current consumption(mA) to calculate an available standby time and an available call time, and (5) displaying the available standby time and/or the available call time.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.